By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas. Their next, the critically-acclaimed Heaven Up Here, reached the Top Ten in 1981, as did 1983's Porcupine and '84's Ocean Rain. Singles like "The Killing Moon" (later used in the soundtrack to Donnie Darko, a film whose imagery owed much to the artwork of the band's early records.), "Silver," "Bring on the Dancing Horses," and "The Cutter" helped keep the group in the public eye as they took a brief hiatus in the late 1980s. Their 1987 self-titled LP was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.
McCulloch quit the band in 1988. De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident one year later. The others decided to continue, recruiting Noel Burke to replace McCulloch on vocals in Reverberation (1990), which did not generate much excitement among fans or critics. Burke, Sargeant and Pattinson split after that, but the surviving three fourths of the original band reformed in 1997 and released Evergreen (1997), What are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001) , Siberia (2005), and the latest addition, The Fountain (2009). The group's old audience liked the return to their classic sound, and they also managed to gain a number of new, younger listeners.
Echo and the Bunnymen were managed early on by Bill Drummond, who went on to be a founder member of The KLF.
Baby Rain
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still waiting for the voices
That don't call my name
Had too many choices
And I missed my aim
No pearls inside the oysters
Just a world
We all get life
And take our chances
In the rain...baby rain
In the rain...baby rain
Glad to be
Alive and still believing
What you said to me
Your love was never leaving
And it comes for free
So what's the use of stealing
From your girl
When she's the answer
And your world
And your chances
In the rain...baby rain
In the rain...baby rain
I've got what you want
When're you going to get me?
Home again
I can hear the voices
Singing out my name
Life is where the choice is
And I've found my aim
Don't need pearls or oysters
Just a world
With all the answers
I've got life
I'll take my chances
In the rain...baby rain
In the rain...baby rain
The lyrics of "Baby Rain" by Echo & the Bunnymen express a sense of being lost and waiting for something that never comes. The singer laments that he has had too many choices and that he missed his aim. He feels that there are no pearls inside the oysters, which may be a reference to the idea that life is like an oyster -- hard and difficult to penetrate -- but sometimes it can be beautiful and rewarding when you find the pearls inside. However, the singer seems to be disillusioned by his experience and feels that there are no answers in this world. Despite this, he suggests that we all get life and take our chances.
The chorus of "baby rain" seems to be a metaphor for the idea that life is unpredictable and uncontrollable, like the weather. The singer seems to be saying that he is glad to be alive and still believing in something, even though he feels lost and unsure of his direction. He acknowledges the love that someone has shown him and seems to suggest that it is worth more than anything he could steal. The song ends with the singer feeling like he has found his way home and found his aim in life. He recognizes that he doesn't need expensive things to feel fulfilled, just a world with all the answers.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost again
Feeling lost and unsure of where to go
Still waiting for the voices
Looking for guidance or direction from outside sources
That don't call my name
Seeking voices that won't lead to disappointment or distraction
Had too many choices
Faced with too many options that weren't fulfilling
And I missed my aim
Failed to achieve what was hoped for
No pearls inside the oysters
Nothing valuable or worthwhile found despite the effort put in
Just a world
Only the world itself
With no answers
Without any clear solutions or direction
We all get life
Everyone experiences life
And take our chances
And have to make choices with uncertain outcomes
In the rain...baby rain
Finding comfort or release in the rain
Glad to be
Thankful for the opportunity to be alive
Alive and still believing
Believing in hope despite challenges faced
What you said to me
The words of someone who matters
Your love was never leaving
The love of someone who will always be there, no matter what
And it comes for free
Love that is freely given and not expected to be repaid
So what's the use of stealing
There is no point in taking something that is freely given
From your girl
Taking something from someone you care about
When she's the answer
When the girl is the key to happiness or fulfillment
And your world
Your entire existence
I've got what you want
Having something that someone else desires
When're you going to get me?
When will you take what I have to offer?
Home again
Returning to a place of familiarity and comfort
I can hear the voices
Finding guidance or direction from within
Singing out my name
Leading to a sense of purpose and belonging
Life is where the choice is
The choices made in life determine one's experience
And I've found my aim
Having a sense of direction or purpose
Don't need pearls or oysters
No longer seeking something valuable or worthwhile
Just a world
Only the world itself
With all the answers
Finding clarity and direction
I've got life
Having the opportunity to live
I'll take my chances
Willing to make choices with uncertain outcomes
In the rain...baby rain
Finding comfort or release in the rain
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eric Mort
I use to sing this to my son to get him to sleep when he was a baby good memory thanks ian cool song
Adinan Perassol
beautiful song
KEITH SHARP
this is one of my favourite bunnymen songs - when you gonna get me?
danielchrnko
Damn that was really good